Art 104: Crate

This assignment was loosely defined.  We were to design an object, or 'crate' that held or contained another common object.  The crate was to relate to the object it was holding in form and function.  This final project required that we construct our form out of wood.  Renee always encourages us to be playful... examples included a large toaster that held a slice of bread, or a large oreo that held inside it a box of oreos. 

I tend to avoid putting alot of work into something that doesn't have a function.  I was determined to make this project fun, beautiful, and practical.  My initial idea was to create a dress form that had compartments that held sewing notions.  I've been wanting to start playing around with clothing design and had been thinking of investing in a dress form for some time... if I made one myself then I knew the measurements would be pretty accurate. 

So, wood and the human form... The idea of using such a static material to create a form that is curvilinear with sinuous volumes would have been difficult for some.  But my mind instinctually went to the contour models we would make to describe the topographical shape of a landscape.  So I took all my measurements, an outline of my form, and went to work creating a construction detail and topo map of sorts, describing my torso.  How exhilarating to create a detail that I would be building.  (I showed my drawings to Renee and she didn't really understand what I was doing, or drawing, or how it was going to all come together.  I thought it was really interesting, all the different ways peoples minds work, and the methods we use to think about and describe things).

I was a little apprehensive about working with wood.  It all seemed rather straight-forward, but I didn't know the means of manipulating lumber... which saw would I use?  How would it handle precise curves?  How do I use the machines, and how would I be able to operate it accurately?  And how long would it take me to get all of this done??? 

Bought lumber (a soft blonde pine, 21/32" thick, laminated), drew my patterns (all which had been figured out, drawn on trash, and cut out) on the wood, and used the band saw(mostly) and jig saw (some) to cut out the pieces.  Actually neither were very difficult to operate.  But it was work... I spent 3 days of studio time just cutting out all of the pieces... all the time not knowing if my design would work and if everything would fit together as it should.  Finally, at the end of the third day, I fit it all together - it worked!  Though I needed to make some adjustments, it was so  encouraging to see it all come together.

Now for all the finishing touches.  I spent an entire day sanding all these pieces.  Then I spent another day staining: testing a variety of samples, debating the best combination, the applying it too all the pieces.   And at the last minute I decided to make a stand for the piece, so that it would actually function as a dress form and not just sit on my sewing table.

  

Front                                              Back

I used no nails.  The piece stands by itself with interlocking parts, but I used glue in a few key places to make it a bit more structurally sound.  Walnut stain was used for the vertical elements.  On the horizontal pieces I wanted a weathered, distressed raw look to the wood.  I found a recipe on line to achieve this, combining a clear water base stain with a bit of white flat paint and water.  I'm not thrilled with the way it came out, but it works.  The two center shelves pull out, inserted dowels hold spools of thread.

A few more details...

 

Looks pretty close to my proportions/dimensions, right?  (sorry I look so disheveled, I had just returned from my morning work out). 

This project really surprised me.  I wasn't excited about working with wood, and didn't think 3D design was something I was going to get into.  But wow - what fun!  So much problem-solving, which is what I love about design!  It was empowering to conquer a material that intimidated me so much.  And it is so satisfying when all the pieces of this puzzle come together the way you planned it.  Never in my work as a landscape architect did I have this sense of accomplishment.  Renee was really impressed with the way it all came together - and was also amazed at how differently we conceive, process, and build such pieces of art.  Her vote is that I pursue furniture design.  Another possibility to add to the list.  I was really hoping this class would help me narrow my focus, so that I could maybe cross this off the list of areas of art to pursue.  Instead, it just added another discipline.